Hammerite Rust Cap Paint - Too Thick, Too Quick For Me!

[DerbyDad03]

I've been using some Hammerite Rust Cap to paint some tire rims - brush on, not spray.

The stuff is so thick and dries so quickly that I'm having a hard time getting a smooth, even finish.

The instructions say it will sag if over applied, but if I use too little, it dries almost instantly and begins to glob up as I try to combine two sections. The old rule of "maintain a wet edge" is next to impossible and God forbid if I have to go back and touch up a section even after a few seconds.

Luckily, they're just trailer rims, so I'm not all that concerned, but I'm certainly not able to brush on what anyone would call a quality finish.

I've got one more surface to go, but to be honest, I don't know if I'll be keeping the rest of the quart on the shelf. I can't think of any other applications where I'd settle for the results I'm getting with the rims.

[deadgoose]

It says it can be thinned. Have your tried that? Sounds like you are trying to put on too thick a coat?

Also, lay the rims down FLAT. That should help, I would think.

[DerbyDad03]

Yes, the instructions say it can be thinned, but they only mention thinning in the instructions for rolling and spraying. They also claim "Hammerite is designed to be ready for use." No, I haven't tried thinning, mainly because it doesn't appear that I should have too, at least according to the instructions.

As I said in my OP, if I apply a thin coat, it dries almost instantly and "pulls" and ripples. If I apply it too thick, it sags. I (and it could just be me) am unable to find that happy medium where it goes on nice and even like "normal" paint.

I'm painting them on a workbench, lying flat, but think about what a tire rim looks like.

Standing up, lying down or leaning at an angle, there is no position in which the entire surface will ever be flat. Tire rims - especially trailer rims - will have horizontal, vertical and even bowl shaped surfaces. They're a 3 dimensional object.

My rims:

[ransley]

I think the product is designed to be sprayed, you can thin it, if that doesnt help get spray cans or spray what you have

[DerbyDad03]

Click the link I provided and read section 10.

1. APPLICATION METHODS

[RicodJour]

I've had little trouble brushing it on vertical surfaces, like post lights, so I'm not sure what's going on with yours. It is a little more finicky than other paints, and you don't want to play with it too much, lay it on, brush out once, and move on. I spray the stuff when I'm doing complicated things, like patio furniture and the like. Get a Preval sprayer. Works fine.

R

[Nestor Kelebay]

DerbyDad03:

If you go to

web site, you can download the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for this paint. I downloaded the MSDS for the white smooth (rather than hammered texture) brush-on paint, and it said that the thinner in the paint consists primarily of xylene (16.5 percent of the can's weight is xylene) and acetone (4.3 % acetone).

Now, acetone evaporates much more rapidly than xylene, so it's kinda dumb to use acetone as a thinner in a paint that's not meant to be sprayed. The only reason I can think of to use some acetone in this paint is that acetone is NOT considered a VOC so far as the US air pollution watch dogs are concerned. So, by replacing some of the xylene thinner in the paint with acetone, Masterchem (who is the company that makes this paint) can both keep the paint below the stringent VOC guidelines in the US, AND advertise that this paint has lower VOCs now, and is therefore "greener".

But, as soon as you open the can and start painting with the paint, that acetone is going to evaporate fairly quickly out of the can, and what you'll be left with is a thicker paint of higher viscosity that won't self level as well.

Go to any paint store and buy some xylene and use that to thin your Hammerite paint. You don't need to add much because thinning paint is like burning the candle at both ends; not only will the added thinner slow the drying time of the paint, but it will also lower the paint's viscosity and thereby allow it to self level faster. So, you don't need to thin the paint much to notice a difference in it's performance.

Because of tight VOC regulations on paints in the US, lots of paint companies find themselves unable to meet those requirements and resorting to simply putting less thinner in the paint when making it and slapping a "Do Not Thin" sticker on the can before it leaves the factory. That's about the only way they can meet the VOC requirements in order to sell their paint. When I see that "Do Not Thin" sticker on a can of oil based paint, I also buy a quart of paint thinner because I know I'm going to need to thin the stuff before using it in order to get it to work as intended.

Hope this helps.

------------------------------------- ..in solidarity with the movement for change in Iran.

[RicodJour]

HoOwnerSnub.com unfair to workers!

The Hammerite paint the OP is using is not supposed to self-level. You've obviously never used the stuff so why do you feel you are able to comment on its use?

R

[DerbyDad03]

How does that spray gun work? Is there a propellant in the canister?

BTW...I bought the brush on product because it was

[RicodJour]

Yep. The Preval has a replaceable propellant cartridge. There are also compressed air rechargeable spray bottles, but I've never used one. The Preval is nice because they're cheap enough and they work.

R

[DerbyDad03]

*Now* you tell me! ;-)

I just dropped the rims off to have the tires put on. The first thing I said to the guy was "No comments on the paint job!"

[clare]

smooth, buy different paint.

[DerbyDad03]

hmm...must be they just like the words Smooth Finish, 'cuz they what they put on the label.

[clare]

thinned.

[DerbyDad03]

bzzzzt...wrong again.

Look up through the thread, find the link I posted earlier and read section 10.

No mention of thinning for brush on application.

Hey, I said it in the subject line, and I said in my posts - it could just be *me*.

Maybe others can get the paint to brush on to a smooth finish, but I can't. I had to paint 4 "surfaces". The inside and outside of 2 rims. I got better as I went along, but even the last surface I did has a few drips and globs. Definitely not a job I'm proud of.

Oh well.

[clare]

The solvent in ALL Hammerite paint, as far as I know, is high in Acetone and VERYquick to evaporate - leaving the paint thick. Thinning is sometimes absolutely necessary to get some paints to flow if they have thickened. Just don't OVER thin. Then you need to spray it, and even then it's never the same.

[DerbyDad03]

The can I'm holding warns about xylene exposure but says nothing about acetone.

It also says - in bold letters - No Thinning Recommended.

I'm just saying...

[clare]

They generally don't warn of Acetone as it is much more "benign" than Xylene and Toluene - which are also very volatile and therefore evaporate quickly.

When they say no thinning recommended it is often CYA for the EPA re: VOCs

[Bob]

replying to clare, Bob wrote: Hammerite also sells a gloss enamel, not with the hammered affect. I'm trying to use it now and am having issues trying to roll the paint on my iron fence. It dries so fast that if you try to roll it on it starts making making really fine cotton candy like fibers coming off the fence and roller. I'm going to try to thin it tomorrow and see if that helps.